Detail parts are what turn a boxed kit into a ship people stop and look at. Gathered here are wooden decks, etched railings and ladders, decals, paint masks, turned barrels and resin castings, arranged by type first and then by scale, from 1:72 down to 1:700. Two things decide whether an upgrade works: the scale has to match the kit exactly, and ship-specific sets have to match the boxing on your own shelf. Below you will find what to judge an accessory by, the order in which parts go onto a hull, and where to start if you have never detailed a ship before.
1:350 IJN Type 96 25mm AA gun (double) PRINT
6.80 €
1:350 Set of 12 pcs 150 mm barrels for German ships: Bismarck, Tirpitz, Scharnhorst, Gneisenau
8.36 €
1:350 Set of 8 pcs 380 mm barrels for German ships: Bismarck, Tirpitz
8.36 €
1:350 Ships railing
8.36 €
1:350 IJN Type 96 25mm AA gun (single) PRINT
6.80 €
1:350 IJN Type 96 25mm AA gun (triple)
6.80 €
Ship kits are the most rewarding candidates for upgrading of any subject. Railings, aerials, radar screens and the grain of deck planking are shapes injection moulding cannot render finely enough — and they are precisely the shapes that turn a grey plastic silhouette into a credible vessel. Most of these parts go on easily, and the difference shows immediately.
An accessory must always match the scale of the model. Railings cut for 1:700 on a 1:350 hull look like a toy, and nothing will disguise it. For sets made for a named ship, check the exact kit boxing as well; it is usually stated in the product name.
Straight railings and ladders are the usual first step, a wooden deck that simply presses onto the hull the second. Sets with dozens of tiny etched parts, or complete conversion packages, are better left until you have a few quiet evenings with tweezers behind you.
Some premium boxings include a few etched frets or metal barrels already. Read the instructions before ordering the same thing twice, and pick accessories that complete the contents rather than duplicate them.
The kits themselves, in every scale, are listed at ship model kits. For working with etched brass you will want gel cyanoacrylate from model glues and a good pair of tweezers or a bender from modelling tools.
